Why is your policy 'No Undesexed Animals' to be listed on PetRescue?

The answer is, in our opinion, NO ONE who is a genuine rescuer would be allowing animals to be rehomed undesexed. Simple as that.

We recommend that if you find the rescuer or organisation that you are dealing with, would be happy to give you an animal that hasn't been desexed, that you DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM and that you find another group.

Sadly, there are unscrupulous people who present themselves as rescuers, when in fact they do not have animal welfare as their priority. They often use rescue as a way to generate business and as a front to make money. They save money by not desexing their animals and may even offer to help you breed the dog they are giving you so they are able to sell the puppies. These people should be avoided as they aren't helping and are actually making it harder for real rescuers to get the support they need.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter shelters each year, and at least half of them are euthanized. The organization also calculates that a fertile dog can produce two litters of 6 to 10 pups in a year; that means that the female and her offspring can, theoretically, produce 67,000 unwanted dogs over a span of six years.

It is especially important in the case of shelters as rescue dogs should never-ever be bred.

This is because:

• If that particular animal doesn't have a home, what are the chances that the six to eight puppies they go on to produce will have?
• If the dog has been given up due to temperament or behavioural issues, you would be producing puppies that are prone to the same problems, or that will learn the behaviours from their parents.
• If there are no records of the dogs parentage going back several generations, there is a good chance you will produce offspring that have painful hereditary problems such as hip dysplasia, eye problems or heart conditions.

The good news is that there are also many benefits to the new owner of a desexed dog!

Males

Desexing reduces territorial aggression in males making them less likely to fight other dogs. They are also less likely to feel the need to mark their territories by spraying or cocking their legs in the house.

A desexed male is 40 times less likely to bite a human than a non-desexed male making them a better family pet.

Desexing male dogs reduces the annoying and embarrassing urges of masturbation and 'mounting' childrens and adults legs.

Older male dogs can suffer from a number of problems caused by testosterone (the male hormone).

The more serious of these conditions include:

• Prostate enlargement and cancer
• Hernias
• Testicular cancer
• Perianal cancer (tumours of the skin around the anus)

Desexing at an early age prevents testosterone from causing these serious diseases.

Females

Desexing will reduce instances of interfemale aggression (aggression towards other female dogs).

Desexing will eliminate bleeding every six months when in oestrus (i.e. on heat). It will stop male dogs, attracted by her scent, hanging around your property and her escape attempts in order to get to the male dogs.

It prevents pseudopregnancies, i.e. false pregnancies, which can be very deceptive, lengthy and difficult to manage and resolve. In this situation they have the pregnancy hormones mimicking pregnancy, so behave as if pregnant - nesting, treating objects as puppies, become mopey, depressed, off food and often right to the point of producing milk!!

Desexing prevents pyometra, an infection of the uterus that can cause septicaemia and septic shock, potentially leading to death or fatal irreversible kidney failure.

Desexing eliminates the possibility of uterine cancer.

If a female is spayed prior to her first oestrus it greatly reduces the possibility of mammary gland (breast) cancer (note - this benefit of breast cancer prevention is lost after 4 oestrus cycles).

Both Males and Females

Your council registration fees are considerably cheaper.

Continue to page 2 of this article - Some Common Myths About Desexing